Planet Earth Prix
by WildlifeWarrioress
Summary: Lightning McQueen is invited to race in the Planet Earth Prix: a series of endurance races ran in wilderness regions from around the world. But McQueen faces tough competition - from old and new rivals alike. How will he do in the world's hardest races?
1. Invitation

**_Cars_ and characters copywrited by Disney and Pixar!**

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><p>It was a beautiful, peaceful Summer day in Radiator Springs. A pink female Tesla drove around the little town, admiring the scenery and investigating the town. Yes, this had to be it. It wasn't long before she was spotted by one of the residents. The spotter was Sally. "Welcome to Radiator Springs, how may I help you?" Sally asked.<p>

The car answered the question in a strong French accent. "Hello, I am looking for the Lightning McQueen. I have an invitation to give him."

"An invitation? Ok, I'll go get him. Stickers!" Sally drove off to find the race-car.

The French car giggled. _Stickers...what kind of nickname is that?_ she thought. Her thought was interrupted when Sally came over with Lightning McQueen. "I found him."

"So what is this invitation you were telling me about, Sally?" McQueen asked.

"This one." The French car handed McQueen the invitation. McQueen opened the envelope and read the letter that was inside.

_Dear Lightning McQueen,_

_I am honored to tell you that you are invited to race in Planet Earth Prix. In case you do not know, this is a series of 9 races that each take place in various wilderness regions around the world. The races are in the following locations: Germany's Black Forest, the Sand Dunes of the Arabian Desert, the African Savanna, the Australian Outback, the Amazon Rainforest, the bamboo forests of China, the tundra of Russia, the Himalayan Mountains, and the jungles of the Pacific Islands. You have been chosen to race because of your fabulous racing records and your participation in the World Grand Prix. Please let me know if you can run in the racing competition. Thank You._

_Belia_

McQueen just stared at the letter. He could not believe it. All his life he had been wanting to race in the Planet Earth Prix. And now he finally gets to. The race-car couldn't help but wonder what champions he would meet at this racing competition.

"So, what do you think?" Sally asked. "Are ya going?"

"Of course I'm going, Sally. I have been wanting to race in this competition my whole life."

"Alright, I'll go tell the others." Sally drove off.

"So who do I reply to?" McQueen asked.

"Me," the French car replied. "I'm Belia."

"Well, Belia, you can count me in. Thanks so much for inviting me."

"Hey, no problem. You certainly are a champion - one deserving a spot in what is perhaps the most difficult racing competition in the world-"

"Howdy McQueen!" Mater drove up to McQueen and Belia. "Howdy Miss...uhh...Miss..."

"Belia," Belia said.

"Well, howdy Miss Belia!" Mater then turned his attention over to McQueen. "So I heard that your gonna to race again! Is that true?"

McQueen smiled. "Yes, Mater, it is true. Belia here invited me to."

"Yes, and this year it is being hosted by the C.F.S.M.E. In case you don't know, that stands for "Cars for Saving Mother Earth." It's an environmental organization." Belia added.

"Wait a minute...how do I know that this is not another one of those scandals?" Mater asked, rather suspicious.

McQueen sighed. "Mater..."

"But remember the World Grand Prix? That was a scandal-"

"Mater..."

"You can relax, my friend; this is no scandal. Trust me; I'm hosting the races this year. I'm one of the leaders of the C.F.S.M.E." Belia reassured.

"But last time the host of the race was the one that-"

"Mater..."

Mater looked at McQueen, then at Belia, then at the blue British car that somehow appeared from out of nowhere - or at least he seemed like he did. "Relax, Mater, Belia is one that can be trusted," the British car said.

Another British car - this one a purple female - drove up to the group. "Mater, Finn is right; Belia can be trusted. Trust me, I know her."

Mater relaxed. 'Well, if my friends Finn and Holley can trust her, then I can too. Sorry for giving the wrong impression of me, Miss Belia-"

Belia smiled. "No need to apologize, Mater. I understand how you feel. My life was changed by the scandal as well."

"Thanks for understanding... well, it's nice to meet ya, Miss Belia! ...hey McQueen, can I come to the races with you?"

McQueen replied with a question." Didn't I tell you that you're coming to all of my races from now on?"

"Luigi remembers hearing that." The little Italian car said as he drove up to the others. "So you need a pitcrew, McQueen? Sally told me-"

"Yes, Luigi, I will need a pit crew."

"Ok. I'll go get the others." Luigi drove off.

"What is it with Italians and speaking in the third person?" Belia asked. Everyone looked at her. "Seriously? The last Italian I talked to constantly spoke in the third person...and boy, was he a flirter! But those open wheels..."

"I think I know who you talked to, Belia," Holley said. "And I must admit that he is rather sexy, with those open wheels and all. However, my heart is with Mater."

"And what is it with girls and being obsessed with open wheels?" McQueen asked.

"So about this race I heard about...do you need a ride to and from the races?" Finn asked.

"Yes, please," McQueen replied.

"Great. I'll go call Siddeley." Finn drove off to make his call.

"And I'm gonna join up with Luigi and the rest of the pitcrew." Mater said as he drove off.

"Good idea, Mater. After all, you are the pitcrew chief!" McQueen called to Mater as the tow-truck left. He then turned his attention to the French car. "Well, Belia, I must get packing for this exciting trip. See you soon!"

"See ya," Belia replied. She then went back to exploring the town and the surrounding countryside.

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><p><strong>I might change the locations of a few of the races, and maybe even the number of races that there are going to be - but these are what they will be, for now.<strong>

***Belia's original name was Belle; I changed it cause I wanted a more unique name.**


	2. Departure

It wasn't long before Siddeley arrived at Radiator Springs. Finn was the first to notice the jet's arrival. "I hope you're all ready to leave; Siddeley's here!"

McQueen, Mater, Belia, Luigi, and the rest of the pit-crew were all standing in front of the Doc Hudson Museum, bags in wheels, all ready to leave. Finn and Holley grabbed their bags and joined then.

"I'm glad to see that you are all ready to go," Siddeley said as he landed. After making a complete stop, the jet opened up. Finn and Holley were the first to enter, while McQueen and Belia were the last. But before they entered, McQueen talked to Sally. "I'll see you when I get back, Sally," McQueen told his girlfriend.

"I'll see you when you get back, Stickers," Sally replied. "Good luck in those races. And please be careful."

"Don't worry, I will be careful. I've raced before."

"Yes, I know, but these races, if I'm correct on this, are in complete wilderness."

"Yes, they are, I know that. You can relax, Sally, I'll be fine."

"Just be careful."

"I will."

"I love you, McQueen."

"I love you too, Sally." The two cars hugged, then McQueen entered the jet. As he did so, he asked Belia, "so where is the first race?"

"The first race is in Germany," Belia replied.

"Flight destination: Germany." Siddeley said. "What part?"

"The Black Forest."

Alrighty, then, non-stop flight to the Black Forest of Germany!"

After the cars entered the jet and said their goodbyes with the residents that were not going on the trip, Siddeley took off from Radiator Springs, off to Germany; the location of the first race of the Planet Earth Prix.

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><p><strong>Sorry for such a short chapter! I promise that the upcoming chapters will be longer - and much more interesting!<strong>


	3. Friends and Rivals

Thanks to Belia's guidance, Siddeley was able to arrive at a little village in the Black Forest of Germany. After the jet landed, all of the cars deboarded, and the jet left. Belia lead the other cars to the village hotel. "Alright, so you guys go check in and make yourselves comfy in your rooms, and McQueen, meet me here at 6:30. Ok?"

"Got it," McQueen replied as he and the others entered the hotel.

Once they drove up to the check-in counter, Finn spoke. "Hello, I would like to-"

"Guten tag! Sorry to interrupt you, Sir, but are you the members of Team McQueen?" A German car asked.

"Yes, we are."

"Alrighty, then, I'll lead you to your room. In case you wonder how I know, Belia made a reservation for you guys already."

"Why, that was sure nice of her!" Mater said.

The German car lead the cars of Team McQueen to their hotel room - room 95. It was a small little room, but it was very cozy - it had enough beds for all of the cars to sleep in. "Enjoy your stay here in Germany," the German car said before he left McQueen and his friends to settle down in the room.

Holley sat on one of the beds. "Wow, these are cozy."

Mater was already snoozing on another one of the beds, while the rest unpacked their stuff. McQueen only had five minutes to rest before he had to leave to meet up with Belia. After saying goodbye to his companions, he left the hotel room.

Belia saw him arriving. "Oh, you're just in time, McQueen. Follow me." The French car lead the American race-car to a different section of the village, where there apparently was a party for the race-cars running in the Planet Earth Prix. "So you can stay as long as you like, McQueen. This is the time to meet up with your competitors. See you." Belia drove off.

"Bonjour McQueen! Remember me?" Raoul CaRoule drove up to McQueen.

"Raoul, buddy, it's nice to see you again!" McQueen responded.

"Can't you believe it? We're in the Planet Earth Prix! This is amazing!"

"I totally agree with you, Raoul! This is sure amazing!"

"McQueen, you in this race too?" Shu asked as he drove up to the American race-car.

"Yes, Shu, I'm in the race. It's nice to see you again! So are all of the World Grand Prix racers in this race?"

"Yep."

At that moment, Rip Clutchgoneski and Carla Veloso drove by. They greeted McQueen.

McQueen greeted back. "Hello, Rip, hello, Carla. How are you guys doing?"

"How is your relationship going?" Raoul asked.

"It is wonderful," Carla replied.

"It couldn't be any better," Rip added.

Before anyone else could speak, a female purple car drove up to the American race-car. "So, you must be the famed Lightning McQueen, ay?" She had a strong German accent. "I hear that you are very good. But are you as good as me?"

"That's Wolff," Shu whispered to McQueen.

But Wolff overheard. "Yes, I am the famed Wolff of the Black Forest." She showed off her hood. "You see the painting I have on my hood? It is of a howling wolf. I just had this painted recently, for this race, see?"

"Yes, I see it," McQueen answered. "It's cool."

"So powerful, determined, and fierce they are - just like me." She looked at McQueen. "I will be seeing you later, then, McQueen. I must say that you look like a pretty good racer. But remember this: nobody is better than Wolff!" And with that, she drove off.

McQueen just watched the German car drive off.

"Ciao, McQueen!"

McQueen turned around to see who was greeting him, though he had a feeling he knew who it was: Francesco Bernoulli. And he was right - it was the Italian race-car who spoke to him. "Hello, Francesco."

"So are you-a ready to be-a beaten in tomorrow's race?" Francesco asked.

McQueen sighed. "And the insults are already coming, I see."

"Of course; Francesco enjoys insulting-a McQueen."

"I know that."

"Good; you-a should also know that-a Francesco will-a beat you tomorrow in the race."

"And how did I know that that was coming?" McQueen really was not in the mood for dealing with Francesco's insults. "So I will be seeing you later, then."

"Yes, you will-a be seeing Francesco. But not like-a this..."

_Oh-no, not again._ McQueen thought to himself as the Italian race-car turned around.

"...you will be a-seeing him, like-a this." Once again, Francesco had the "Ciao McQueen" sticker on his rear-bumper.

McQueen didn't even bother to speak. He just drove away. But he didn't drive too far before bumping into a female Formula One car. "Oh, I'm so sorry, miss!" he apoligized.

"No problem," she replied. "So you must be Lightning McQueen?"

"Yes, I am. And you must be-"

"Crystal. From Russia." The Formula One interrupted.

"I see."

"I noticed Francesco insult you. This is so?"

"Yes, he does."

"Why do you put up with it? Why don't you just kick his bumper?"

"Umm...because I'm not the type of car who does that sort of stuff."

"Want me to do it for you?"

"Uhh...not really..."

"Too bad, I will." And with that, Crystal drove off. McQueen watched her drive towards the Italian race-car.

"She's tough," Miguel Camino said as he drove up to McQueen.

"I've noticed," McQueen replied as he turned his attention to his friend.

"But I think she cares about you. Or at least would like you to stand up for yourself."

"But I do stand up for myself."

"True. Perhaps she just wants to have an excuse to kick Francesco's bumper. I heard that she's always wanted to do that, for some reason."

McQueen chuckled. "I don't know, but she is, as you said, tough."

"I wonder how good of a racer she is."

"To be here, she must be one good racer." McQueen yawned. "My goodness, I am tired."

"Tired? How can you be tired?"

"Time difference. Long plane flight."

"Oh, yeah, that."

"I think I'm going to go back to my hotel."

"Ok, Amigo. See you tomorrow."

"See ya!" McQueen left his Spanish friend, and drove up to Belia. "I'm going to go back to my hotel room, if that is ok. I'm tired."

Belia smiled. "That's ok, McQueen, I understand. Today was a long day and tomorrow will be a big day. You need as much rest as possible. Good night."

"Good night." McQueen left the party and drove back to the hotel. He snuck into it quietly, as all of his friends were fast asleep.

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><p><strong>In case you wondered, Wolf is partially a made up character. I was watching the deleted scenes that came with the <em>Cars 2<em> DVD, and one of the scenes took place in Germany. In the scene there was this one purple car whom seemed to be popular with the residents and, if I remember correctly, her name was Wolff. Her personality, of course, is what I made up - but I tried to base it on what I thought she would be like. I definitely will have to re-watch the scene to make sure that what is stated above is correct, though...**


	4. Before the Race

It was the next day. McQueen was glad to have gotten a good night's rest, as were the rest of his comrades. As they left the hotel and headed towards the race-track, the cars talked to McQueen about last night and the upcoming race.

Mater was excited. "Today's the first race, McQueen!"

McQueen smiled. "Yes, Mater, I know."

"I hope ya win!"

"I hope so too."

"So did you get to meet your competitors?" Luigi asked.

"Yes, I did." McQueen replied.

"So who were they?"

"My pals from the World Grand Prix, a German named Wolff, a tough Russian named Crystal, and a few others that I haven't gotten around to meeting yet."

"Any Ferraris?"

"Not that I know of."

"That sounds like you have some tough competition," Finn said.

"Yes, I do, but that will make these races even more enjoyable."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I always find things to be more enjoyable when they are harder."

"So are there any female race-cars?" Holley asked.

"Yes. Carla Veloso from Brazil is female; she was also in the World Grand Prix. Then there was Wolff. Oh, and I can't forget about Crystal."

"So do you like Germany so far?" Max Schnell asked as he drove up to the group.

"Yes, I do. Very much," McQueen replied.

"It is very beautiful," Holley added.

Schnell stared at Holley; he was attracted by her beauty. But that attention didn't last long as one car chased another nearby. The German car sighed. "Oh, boy, here she goes again..."

Crystal was chasing Francesco. It was only because of his speed that the Italian was able to even attempt escaping from the Russian.

"I would love to know what she holds against him."

"I would like to know as well," McQueen said. "I'm guessing that she can't stand his attitude - which I admit I can't stand at times."

"She almost got him yesterday at the party."

"Really?"

"Yeah, right after she finished talking to you. But Francesco noticed at the last moment and sped away just in time."

The cars continued to watch the scene. By then, Francesco had managed to hide between the bushes, and Crystal was seeking him out. "Oh, come on, Francesco, I know you're here somewhere. Why don't you just get your spoiler out of hiding and face me!" Luckily, for the Italian race-car, the Russian drove off in the opposite direction.

After she had gone, Francesco drove out of the bushes, and came across Team McQueen and Schnell. "Ciao McQueen, ciao Schnell, ciao the rest of you."

"Hello, Francesco," McQueen replied.

"McQueen, would you-a do Francesco a favor?"

"What is it?"

"If you-a see Crystal, will-a you let-a Francesco know so that he can-a escape?"

"Uhh...ok..."

"So what is with this Crystal anyhow?" Schnell asked.

Francesco glanced around before replying. "If you-a haven't noticed by now, Crystal wants to-a kick Francesco's bumper."

"We know that. But why?"

"Francesco will-a tell you later. Ciao!" He drove off at high speeds, with Crystal hot in pursuit.

All of the cars watched, unaware that another one had drove up to them. "And I thought that I was the tough girl. But I was wrong; she is." Wolff said, looking over at Schnell. The others nodded in agreement. "Well, it is time for the race. Come on, McQueen, Schnell - let us see how good of racers you two are."

McQueen and Schnell followed Wolff to the starting line. Besides Crystal and Francesco, everybody was there.

They heard Rip speaking outloud. "I can't belive that I get to race in the Planet Earth Prix I thought that it was awesome enough that I got the race in the World Grand Prix I thought things couldn't of gotten better than they did this is the best day of my life!"

Carla giggled, which caused Shu to look over to her. Raoul decided to pass the time by doing some tricks, while most of the others watched. Wolff was already starting her engines, getting impatient at the waiting.

After 5 minutes, Crystal and Francesco finally arrived. "I will get you one day, Mr. Open-Wheels," Crystal told the Italian as she got in her spot.

Francesco chuckled. "Miss Open-Wheels, you-"

"You better not be suggesting-"

"No, of-a course not! Francesco is just-a mentioning that you also have open-wheels."

"Alright, that's true. And I must say I like having open-wheels."

"I wonder what it is like to have open wheels," McQueen whispered to Schnell.

"Ladies and gentlecars, it is now time for the running of the Planet Earth Prix!" Belia announced.

The crowd got excited. A female Formula One started to blow kisses at her son, and Francesco waved back to her and quickly talked to her.

After a few minutes of trying to get the crowd to calm down, Belia continued to speak. "Alright, so before we get this race started...there are some rules we have to go over!"

Most of the race-cars groaned, as did the crowd, who did not want to hear rules that did not apply to them. Belia continued. "Alright, First Rule: no cheating. Second Rule: be respective of your fellow racers. Third Rule: do not purposely crash another car - that means you, Chick Hicks. Fourth Rule: be respective of the environment. Basically, this means to stay on the track. Fifth Rule: do not run over wildlife when possible. Those poor creatures do not know the dangers of roads, and we really don't want their naiveness to result in their deaths. And Sixth Rule: have fun! Alright, it's time for the countdown!" The lights went on. The race-cars started their engines. "Five, four, three, two, one..." The lights turned green. "And they're off!"


	5. The Black Forest Race

**I have never done a racing scene before so if it sucks I'm sorry.**

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><p>Upon hearing the words "and they're off," all of the race-cars sped away, and immediately tried to take their positions. As usual, McQueen drove to the front of the pack but, also as usual, Francesco took the lead. So he just stayed behind the Italian. He was followed by Crystal, Wolff, and Chick Hicks, who were jockeying for third. Carla follwed them, and Shu followed her. Raoul and Schnell were behind them, and they were in front of Hamilton and Gorvette who, as best friends, were driving next to each other. A few other cars followed. Nigel and Miguel were behind them. And in last place was Rip who, after the whole World Grand Prix scandel, felt safest in the back of the pack.<p>

McQueen couldn't help but admire the German forest that they drove through. Wolff noticed. "So you like the Black Forest, ay?"

"Yes, I do. Very much," the American replied.

"That is good to know. This is where I was born and raised."

"That's cool."

"So what are you doing in this big race anyways? Shouldn't you be in your cosy little forest home where it is all safe and sound?"

Wolff glared at the one who said those words. "You better not be indicating that I am weak!"

Chick Hicks grinned. "Yeah, you are. You are weak and fragile. And so is Carla, and Crystal, and Francesco-"

"FRAGILE! FRANCESCO IS NOT-A FRAGILE!" Francesco screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Yes you are; admit it. It's part of the Formula One. Fragility."

"Francesco is not-a fragile!"

"Want me to test that?"

"No," the Italian replied, fearing that Chick Hicks might try to hurt him.

"Plus, if you test it, you might be disqualified," McQueen added, partly in defence of Francesco, and partly cause it was reality. "Remember what Belia said? To not purposely crash into other drivers. It's one of the rules."

Chick Hicks sighed in annoyance. "Fine. But this is not over, Fragile Francesco." With that, he sped to first place, and sped away from the pack.

Francesco was about to go after the green race-car, but McQueen stopped him. "Relax, Francesco. Save your energy for the home-stretch. He'll tire himself out soon enough."

Francesco calmed down - and was now teasing McQueen. "Thank you for-a giving Francesco a tip on how he can-a beat you in this-a race!"

McQueen sighed. This was going to be a long competition.

After a while the cars had reached the hilly areas. This was Wolff's time to shine. She manuvered around the trees skillfully, while the others (excluding Schnell and Raoul) struggled to some degree, especially with going uphill and downhill at the same time they avoided the trees. She eventually made her way to second place (Chick Hicks was still far ahead).

In particular, Francesco struggled. He just recently had been trained to deal with dirt tracks, but that was done on flat grounds. Never in his life had he had to deal with dirt and hills at the same time. He was quickly losing his lead as the others passed him. Eventually, even Rip passed him.

By the time that happened, Giuseppe Motorosi was yelling into the microphone of the headset he wore. "Francesco! What is-a happening! I thought that we got-a over this dirt issue a long time ago!"

Francesco instantly started to apologize in Italian. "Francesco is-a sorry! He can't-a deal with these hills and the dirt! And on top of that he must-a avoid the trees or he will-a crash and that will-a hurt! He is-a trying as hard as he-a can!"

"Well, try-a harder!"

"Si, Giuseppe! Francesco will!" He continued his efforts to catch up. At least his crew chief was only abusive through words, and never through actions.

Meanwhile, Raoul was having an easier time with the dirt, hills, and trees than all of the others, besides the two Germans. As was the Canadian rally-car that just caught up with him. Raoul stared at her. She was reddish-orange in color, and it was obvious that she was just as adapted to dirt as he was. "Uhh...Bonjour!" he greeted.

"Bonjour!" she replied back.

Raoul was surprised. "You...you know French?"

She giggled. "Of course I know French! I am Canadian!"

"Sweet! So, many I ask what your name is, madame?"

"Maple."

"Maple...that is a sweet name for a sweet madame like you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"So you were in the World Grand Prix, as I recall correctly?"

"Oui."

"I was cheering for you the whole time."

"Really?"

"Oui."

"Sweeeeeeet!"

"Say, what if we drive together for the rest of the race - until the home-stretch, of course!"

"Oui."

The two French-speaking cars drove together, but still continued the race as they usually would. Talking would be saved for later.

Meanwhile, way ahead of the rest of the pack, Chick Hicks just finished the most hilly part of the race. As McQueen had predicted, he was starting to tire. But this did not worry him much, as he was so far ahead of the others that he though it really did not matter.

Crystal was having a hard time with the dirt and hills, but she was not struggling nearly as much as Francesco was. Knowing that, as a Formula One, she was fragile, Crystal slowed down when driving downhill, in order to keep her control and not crash into a tree. Despite having to slow down on occasions, she managed to keep her position in fourth place.

Just as she started to drive down one of the hills, Carla lost her footing. She panicked as she slid downhill, completely out of control.

Putting all aspects of his personal safety aside, Shu sped down the hill. This was extremely dangerous, as he could of crashed - and possibly die. But he had to save Carla.

Digging his back wheels into the ground, Shu drove in front of the Brazilian, grabbed hold of her, and tried to halt her. But the kinetic energy that was created from the other car sliding downhill was just too much, and he slid as well. It wasn't long before he crashed into a tree. However, that finally stopped them both.

After taking a few moments to regain her breath, Carla got up - only to see her injured friend and rescuer. Although relieved to be ok herself, she was very worried over him. "Shu, are you alright?"

Mach Matsuo saw the crash on the live-action TV that all of the pits had, and was worried like crazy. "Todoroki, are you ok?" he asked through the headset, in Japanese, before Shu even had a chance to answer to Carla.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Shu replied, in Japanese, to Matsuo as he got up. He gave Carla the same response, but in English. Shu winced in pain as he rubbed his right side.

Carla noticed. "Oh dear, you're bruised! That looks painful!"

"It hurts."

"Do you want me to send the medical crew?" Matsuo asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I want to finish the race." Shu responded.

"Are you sure that you will be up to it? I would rather have you forfeit the race and be ok rather than continue in pain."

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm ok, trust me."

"Are you absolutely sure? Cause Belia is gathering the medical crew."

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Tell Belia to not send them."

"Ok. But if it hurts too much and you want to discontinue please let me know ASAP."

"Ok. I will."

"So you're going to be ok, then?" Carla asked once more.

"Yes, I'll be ok, as long as you are," Shu responded.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."

"You're welcome."

"That was weird though. I'm usually very good racing on natural tracks."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everybody places their wheels in the wrong spots at times."

At that moment, the two cars saw Nigel lose his footing and slide down the hill. But before anybody could do anything about it, he crashed into a tree.

"Nigel!" Both Carla and Shu gasped at the same time. They drove over to their British friend.

"Oww..." Nigel complained.

"Nigel, are you ok?" Carla asked.

"No..."

"Matsuo, I changed my mind. Get the medical crew." Shu told his pit crew chief.

"Ok. Hurt too much?" Matsuo asked.

"No, but Nigel is injured."

"Ok. Actually, Belia just sent the medical crew to help him."

"Wow, that was fast."

"She had told them what I told her just as the crash occurred. So she sent them off immediately."

"That's good."

"It's ok, Nigel, you're gonna get the help you need." Carla reassured.

"Thanks..." Nigel mumbled.

The two race-cars decided to stay with their injured friend and wait for the medical crew with him.

After a little bit of time, the medical crew arrived. After the doctor examined Nigel's damaged hood and "nose," a tow-truck hooked him up and took him to the hospital.

But the doctor did not leave immediately. Instead, he grabbed his examination supplies. "Shu, will you come over here for a moment?"

"Oh-no..." Shu said under his breath as he drove over to the doctor. "What do you want?"

"I just want to take a quick peek at that injury."

Shu sighed in annoyance. _Why is everybody pestering me over one little bruise?_ he thought.

The doctor applied pressure to the bruised area. Shu tried to hide his pain. Carla just watched.

After the examination the doctor grabbed a vaccine. "Ok, so I'm just gonna have to give you this little injection to heal the bruise."

Shu's eyes grew wide. "Uhh...can we please do this after the race?"

The doctor was not as easily convinced as Matsuo and Carla were. "Listen, if we get this done now then the better off you'll be."

"Please can we do this after the race? It might affect my performance."

The doctor thought for a moment. "Well, seeing that I don't know how this will affect your racing abilities...uhh...ok, we'll do this after the race."

"Thank you. See you Carla." Shu sped off, not wanting to hear any more about his injury. Carla followed. After all, they were still racing. The doctor left the track.

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Gorvette were not necessarily exceeding on the hilly conditions of the track, but they were not struggling. Miguel and Schnell were doing better with it than many of the others. And Raoul and Maple were flying by the others, excelling on the hilly dirt track. Rip was not having the easiest time with the hills, but he was doing much better with it than Crystal and Francesco. But he remained in second to last place.

After a while the rest of the cars finished the most hilly part of the race and, compared to the parts of the track that they raced so far, it seemed relatively flat. This gave Francesco the chance to catch up, and he sped by Rip and many of the others.

Wolff was still in second place, and McQueen remained in third place, as he did the entire time they were in the hills. "I know this track by heart," Wolff told McQueen.

"I can see that," McQueen replied.

"Do you think we will ever catch up to this Chick Hicks guy?"

"I'm sure we will. Soon."

Meanwhile, although still far ahead, Chick Hicks was getting extremely exhausted. He started to wonder if he made a mistake by bursting ahead right at the beginning. But still thinking that they would never catch up, he decided to take a few minute break.

But that was a mistake.

He had rested longer than he had thought, for he heard the distant but approaching engines of the other cars, mainly Wolff and McQueen. He quickly got up and drove as fast as he could, so as not to give the impression that he was exhausted and was resting.

But no matter how hard he tried, he was still exhausted so could not drive very fast. He saw Wolff and McQueen approaching. They passed him. Eventually, all of the other cars, even Rip, passed him.

"See, I told you that we would pass him," McQueen told Wolff.

"That's good," Wolff replied. "Now, nobody is between me and the finish-line!"

"Not for long! Cause I am speed!" McQueen drove past Wolff, then the two jockeyed for the lead.

Francesco had finally been able to make it back to the front of the pack, but faced competition from Crystal for third place. Crystal was tempted to try to get him, but decided that she would do so after the race. She did not want to risk losing her spot.

As the last half of the raced was on terrain that was not as hilly, the cars just drove through the course, with nothing unusual happening. They enjoyed the scenic German forest.

Finally, they saw the little German village in the distance. This was it: the home-stretch. Rip, who had purposely stayed in the back of the pack, now drove as fast as he could, passing many unsuspecting cars who thought that he would just stay back there.

Wolff and McQueen were now in serious competition for the lead. Neither of them wanted to lose. As they drove down the last half of the home-stretch they were hood-to-hood as they fought for the lead. Right at the last minute Wolff gave a final burst of speed and crossed the finish-line before McQueen.

"Marlene Wolfsburg wins the Black Forest race of the Planet Earth Prix!" Belia announced. The crowd went wild.

After everyone crossed the finish-line, the results were posted. They were as follows:

1st: Marlena "Wolff" Wolfsburg

2nd: Lightning McQueen

3rd: Crystal Skorost

4th: Francesco Bernoulli

5th: Raoul CaRoule

6th: Maple Foret

7th: Max Schnell

8th: Carla Veloso

9th: Rip Clutchgoneski

10th: Miguel Camino

11th: Jeff Gorvette

12th: Lewis Hamliton

13th: Shu Todoroki

Followed by all of the other cars

Last: Chick Hicks

Unable to Finish Race: Nigel Gearsley

* * *

><p><strong>Whenever a race-car talks to his pit crew chief and vice verse, they will be speaking in their native languanges. For example, when Shu and Matsuo speak to each other they are talking in Japanese.<strong>

**I just rewatched the deleted scenes from ****_Cars 2_****, and apparently the female German car's name is Marlene Wolfsburg, or Marlena Wolfsburg, or something like that. So, I decided that "Wolff" will be her nickname, and that it is what everybody will call her by - except for the announcers and the media.**

**I might make up a few more race-car characters, so that's why I mention "all of the other cars" without giving them names.**


	6. After the Race

**To answer the question of why Chick Hicks is in this racing competition, it is simply to create tension and conflict between the race-cars - mainly, between him and the other cars. I thought that it would be interesting to have a bully in the story, but I am NOT going to give that role to Francesco (I like-a Francesco too much for-a that, XD).**

* * *

><p>After the race was finished and the results were posted, all of the race-cars socialized in the little German town.<p>

Raoul was driving around, trying to find Maple. He found her talking to Gorvette and Hamliton. "Bonjour Maple, Gorvette, and Hamilton!"

"Hi Raoul," Gorvette and Hamilton greeted.

Maple drove up to Raoul, and snuggled against him. "Bonjour, Raoul."

Raoul grinned happily, but his "cheeks" were red with embarrassment. He looked at Gorvette and Hamilton, who were just staring at him. "Heeheehee."

"I think she likes you, man." Hamilton said.

"Really?"

"Yep."

Maple got off of her new friend so that she could talk to him. "So tell me more about yourself, Raoul."

Raoul hesitated. "Well...uhh...let's see here...umm...where should I start...oh, yeah, I am an experienced rally racer. Hence, my talent for the dirt. Oh, and I used to be in a French Circus."

Maple was fascinated. "Ooo, can I see a trick or two?"

"Sure." Raoul balanced on his two left wheels, and drove around in a figure eight. After that he jumped into the air and did a backflip. He landed on all four wheels.

Maple applauded like crazy. "OMG THAT WAS LIKE THE MOST AMAZING THING I EVER SAW!"

Raoul smiled. "And that was just the basics, madame. I will show you more later, but not now. So, tell me about yourself, madame."

Maple had to take a deep breathe in order to calm down, before she spoke. "Ok, first off, I should let you know that I'm afraid of heights. No, make that terrified of heights. Don't know why, but I just am. Now onto positive stuff. I like racing, obviously, and I love performances like the one you just did. I'm also very fascinated with autobiology. I like to shop every now and then, and I like to hang out with my friends. And did I tell you that I love performances, perhaps more than anything else?"

Raoul looked at Maple starry-eyed, absorbing every word that she said into his brain. Maple giggled once she noticed. The two then drove away together, talking as they did so.

"Those two were meant for each other," Gorvette told Hamilton. Hamilton nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Wolff was bragging about her win. "See, didn't I tell you all that Wolff never loses? Particularily at me home-track, cause I knows it by heart, unlike you guys, who don't even know it until after the race."

Schnell sighed. "Ok Wolff, we get it."

"She has a point, though: we didn't know the track," Miguel added.

Schnell looked at Miguel. "I do! But you are right; most of you guys did not know the track. But at least she doesn't insult us like Francesco does."

"Yep. But Francesco's insults are NOTHING compared to Chick Hicks' verbal attacks on us."

Schnell nodded in agreement, not wanting to say anything as Chick Hicks drove by.

McQueen drove up to the little group. "Hey, Wolff, I just wanted to say, good job in that race today."

Wolff smiled. "Why thank you McQueen. I will admit you are much better than I originally thought. Good job to you too."

"Gee, thanks!"

Francesco was freaking out. "Fourth place! Francesco has-a never been in-a fourth place before! How could-a this of-a happened? Francesco always-a wins! He has-a come in-a second before but-a never worse than that! How did this-a occur?"

McQueen noticed. "Francesco, relax, calm done. There is nothing wrong with coming in fourth place. This is not the end of the world."

"Si, it is-a."

"No it's not. Look around you. Do you see any fiery infernals of hell? Or any asteriods coming our way? Or any giant tidal waves about to drown the entire world with tons of water?"

"No."

"Exactly. So the world's not coming to an end."

"But Francesco lost-a the race."

"But you still did good - especially since you were struggling with the dirt at the World Grand Prix."

"Si..." Francesco stared at McQueen and Wolff as his panicky nature turned into outrage. "But you beat-a Francesco! You and Wolff defeated-a Francesco!"

Wolff decided to intervine. "Hey, dude, relax. Plus, don't forget about Crystal. She kicked your bumper too, you know. Hey, that reminds me, she should be happy now."

Francesco glanced around quickly to make sure that the Russian was not in sight before responding. "She does not-a just want to-a beat Francesco in-a race; she literally wants to-a kick his bumper."

"Oooohh. I guess that explains why she was chasing you earlier."

"So why does she anyways?" Schnell asked.

Francesco though about whether he should tell or not. "Well...Francesco has-a defeated Crystal in-a race once, and made her-a lose her undefeated status..."

"And speaking of the devil!" Wolff whispered as Crystal drove up to the group.

"Dobryi den," Crystal greeted, in Russian. Everyone greeted her back.

Miguel decided to joke around. "So, Crystal, since McQueen and Wolff defeated you and all, does that mean that you now want to kick their bumpers as well?"

"No." Crystal responded humorlessly. "Only Francesco's."

"But now-a that you beat-a Francesco, aren't-a we even now?" Francesco asked, grinning sheepishly.

Crystal stared at Francesco. "Francesco, you know as well as I that this is more than just about you beating me in a race." She drove away.

Francesco was watching her nervously. McQueen was looking back and forth between the two Formula Ones. "Uhh...is there something that we don't know about but should?"

Francesco lied. "No. Of-a course not."

"I'm surprised that she is not going after him," Wolff whispered to McQueen.

Crystal heard. "Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, Wolff." With that, she bolted after Francesco, who instantly fled.

The two Formula Ones zoomed by Carla, Shu, and Rip.

"I wonder if she'll ever catch him," Shu commented.

"And I wonder if the doctor will ever get that needle into ya bumper," Chick Hicks said as he drove up to them.

Shu whispered, in a panicky tone. "Shh, don't say it out loud! I think he forgot about it and you'll remind him! And frankly I could live my life without getting any shots back there thank you very much. By the way, I injured my side, not my bumper."

Rip looked between Shu and Chick Hicks. "Uhh...could someone tell me what's going on?"

"Long story short I was trying to save Carla and in the process I crashed into a tree, injuring myself," Shu told Rip.

"It's great to hear that you saved Carla but oww that must hurt badly."

"It does, but I'm fine."

"I for one would like to know how Chick Hicks found out about all this," Carla remarked.

"Yeah," Shu agreed. "How did you find out, Chick Hicks?"

"I heard the doctor and his pit crew cheif talking about it after the race. Ah, and looky at who it is!"

The doctor came over to the group. He had overheard it all. "Sorry, Shu, but I did not forget."

Shu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright, doctor, I guess that you can give me that shot now, even though I really don't want or need it. See you guys later." He and the doctor drove off.

"Tell me how it all goes!" Chick Hicks called as they left. He turned his attention to Carla and Rip. "Ahh, so who do we have here? Oh yeah, that's right, we have the loser-"

"I'm not a loser!" Rip complained.

"Yes you are. You are the worst racer ever. You're a stupid, naive, weird, weak, overly-innocent loser car! And nothing will ever change that!"

Rip was now crying. "You're mean!"

Carla immediately defended Rip. "Rip is not a loser! He is very smart, is aware about his environment, and is not weak! He is not weird, but rather is a very unique, loving individual! And yes, he is very innocent, but that is perfectly ok!"

"So speaks the partier who gets drunk and spends the night with multiple cars all the time!" Chick Hicks insulted.

Carla was severely offended. "That is not true! Just...just go away! Leave us alone!" She yelled.

"Fine." Chick Hicks drove away from them, looking for someone else to bully.

"I'm not a loser!" Rip wailed.

Carla took a few deep breathes to calm herself, then started to comfort Rip. "It's ok, Rip. You are not a loser. Chick Hicks is just being cruel, that's all. Don't listen to him. He knows nothing about you."

"He knows about my innocent nature," Rip mentioned.

"Alright, so he does. But so what? Doesn't everybody?"

"Yeah." Rip wiped the tears from his cheeks. Carla continued to comfort Rip.

Once again, Francesco had managed to hide from Crystal. She tried to seek him out, but drove in the wrong direction. Just as he came out of hiding, Chick Hicks drove up to him.

"Why, if it isn't Fragile Francesco," Chick Hicks greeted insultingly.

Francesco sighed. "Francesco is not-a fragile."

"Yes you are. And I see that you are a crybaby too."

"Francesco is not-a crybaby!"

"Then explain why you were complaining earlier. So are you gonna cry and drive up to your mommy for comfort, Mama's Boy?"

"Francesco loves his mama very much, but he is-a not a Mama's Boy."

"Yes you are; you can't hide it. You are a Mama's Boy!"

McQueen, who was nearby, decided that he had to intervine before either of the cars got seriously hurt. He drove between the two. "Ok, guys, let's stop this before a fight results."

Francesco sighed with relief. "Ah, for once Francesco is-a glad to see-a McQueen. You know-a this car, right? So can-a you stop him from insulting-a Francesco?"

McQueen glared at Chick Hicks. "Chick Hicks, would you please stop insulting Francesco and my other friends?"

Chick Hicks was surprised. "Friend? I thought you and Francesco hated each other."

"We are rivals, and he does insult me at times - which can be unbearable - but despite that we are friends."

"Then shouldn't you be thanking me for teaching him a lesson?"

"No, cause revenge is not the way to go. Plus, I thought that you didn't care for me at all."

"True, I don't."

"So you would just be using it then as an excuse to justify bullying him. And that's not right."

Just then, Miguel drove up to the three cars. "Did you hear, the doctor is now gonna allow us to visit Nigel!"

McQueen smiled. "Come on, Francesco, let's go visit Nigel!" Francesco nodded in agreement.

As they left with Miguel, McQueen looked back at Chick Hicks. "Are you coming with us?"

Chick Hicks admitted his true feelings. "No. That foolish Brit should of looked where he was going. Tis not my fault that he was hurt!"

McQueen sighed, then he and his friends drove to the hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>In case anybody is curious, autobiology is something that I just made up; to my knowledge, it is not real. Predictably, it is the biology of cars ;)<strong>


	7. Hospital

"Hey guys. How is he doing?" McQueen asked as he and Francesco entered the hospital.

"I think he's gonna be ok," Hamilton replied.

"He just drank some water, so that's a good sign, right?" Gorvette added.

"Yes, it is a good sign," Maple said. "It means that his body is functioning well enough to allow his mouth muscles to allow him to do the physical act of drinking."

"Wow, you're soo smart!" Raoul complimented.

"Thanks. I was a volunteer medical assistant when I was a teen."

"Wow...so Nigel is going to be a-ok, then?"

"So far, it seems like he is."

"That is great!"

"It's...nice...to...see...you...all...here..." Nigel said.

"He talks! That's another good sign, right?" Gorvette asked.

"Tis a wonderful sign," Maple replied.

"How are you doing, Nigel?" McQueen asked.

"I...think...that...I'm...gonna...be...fine...but. ..my...hood...hurts..." Nigel answered.

"Don't worry, the pain won't last that long," Schnell comforted. "When I was training for the first time I crashed into a tree. It hurted for only about, say, a week or so."

"But the important thing is that you are going to live and that you are going to be fine and that you are going to recover," Miguel added. The others agreed.

"And nothing is more important than that," McQueen said.

"Yes. We can thank the Spirits of the deceased Black Forest Wolves for his recovery," Wolff stated. "Cause they are helping him to recover, unbeknownst to us or science."

"Wolf Spirits?" McQueen asked, confused.

"Yes. Don't you know, Wolves are the Spirits of the Wilderness. Even when the actual animal itself is needlessly slaughtered off, it's Spirit will always survive and continue to influence the Wilderness and everything in it, including us."

All of a sudden, a scream could be heard. A few moments later, Shu rushed into the hospital room.

"Uhh...will-a someone explain to-a Francesco what's-a going on?" Francesco asked.

Carla told Francesco and the others about what had happened when Shu rescued her right before Nigel crashed into the tree.

Nigel was surprised. "He...was...hurt...too?"

The Brazilian nodded.

"But...it...didn't...seem...like...he...was...hurt ...when...he...and...Carla...went...to...help...me ..."

"I was thinking the same before he actually told me," Rip said. "I'm telling ya, he's very good at hiding pain."

"Except for a few momets ago," Crystal said as a counterargument.

"That's because I HATE getting shots. I just can't get over having a needle stuck into me and it hurts and I just can't hide it," Shu said in defence as he rubbed his side.

Just then, the doctor arrived, with a needle in his right wheel. "Ok, Nigel, in order to help you heal I am going to have to give you this shot. Relax and it won't be so bad."

"Is this doctor obsessed with shots or something?" Shu asked, rather annoyed.

"No. Injections are just a vital part of many medical procedures."

"Just like how wildlife 'managers' claim that wolves need to be 'controlled' - meaning, killed. Tis not true," Wolff argued, in defence of her friends (and favourite animal).

The doctor ignored Wolff. He rubbed a cleanser liquid on Nigel's hood. "Just close you eyes, and it'll be over before you know it."

Nigel did as he was bidden, not wanting to see any of this. The doctor got ready to give the shot. "Three...two...one..." he injected the needle into his patient's hood.

"OWW!" Nigel couldn't help but scream.

The doctor removed the needle. "There. Done."

Nigel opened his eyes, to see the doctor apply some sort of liquid on the sight of the injection. "See, didn't I tell you that it wasn't going to be that bad?"

Nigel didn't say anything. The doctor turned his attention to Belia.

As the doctor and Belia talked, the race-cars talked to Nigel, making sure that he was going to be alright.

After a while, the doctor and Belia left the room. Belia was greeted by newscars as she left the hospital.

"What is Nigel Gearsley's condition?" one of them asked.

"Will he still compete in the next race?" another asked.

"Nigel is going to make a full recovery, but we don't know how long that will take," Belia responded. "But he will be scratched from the next race."

More questions followed. "Will he be scratched from the rest of the Planet Earth Prix?"

"Does Nigel know yet?"

"What is his reaction to this?"

"Did he help make this decision or was it done by you?"

Belia answered all of the questions. "Nigel does not know yet, and the decision was made my me, his pit crew chief, and the doctors. He may be scratched from the Planet Earth Prix but it's too early to make a formal decision on that yet. We will have to wait and see what his condition is after the next race. But the possibility is very real."

After more questioning from the newscars, Belia went back into the hospital and told Nigel that he will not be competing in the next race.

"Ok," Nigel responded, reacting to the news much better than Belia had thought he would.

But the other race-cars were not so pleased. "Scratched? How can Nigel be scratched from the race?"

"This is unfair!"

"No way this can't be so!"

"No!"

"This is-a not-a good!"

"Guys, listen. I know this is not news that any of us want to hear but it's for his own good! We don't want to risk him getting injured again and possibly dying! It's happened before! Remember that undefeated Indycar from India? She tried to race again right after recovering from a serious engine explosion, but it exploded again and she DIED!"

That silenced all of the race-cars.

"Sorry Belia," Schnell had the courage to say. "We're all just so disappointed."

Belia was sympathic. "It's ok, I know. If it'll make you guys feel any better he will be able to travel with us to the next location and watch the next race."

"Speaking of the next race, where is it?" McQueen asked.

"We're going to Australia, mate!"

* * *

><p><strong>In case you don't know, to be scratched from a race means that the individual will not be competing in the race. For example, the race-horse I'll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont Stakes this year, so he did not compete in that race. Scratches usually result due to injuries.<strong>


	8. Flight

Belle gave the race-cars the next day to explore Germany. Then, the day after that, they all boarded their planes to fly to Australia.

After everyone on Team McQueen boarded, Siddeley took off.

"So did you have a good race?" Luigi asked, even though he knew the results of the race.

"Yeah, I did," McQueen replied. "Even though I did lose against Wolff..."

"She did have home-track advantage, you know," Fillmore mentioned.

"I know. I can't wait for Australia. Then we'd see whether it was just talent or the home-track advantage that let her win."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," Sarge said.

Holley decided to change the subject. "So, wasn't Germany beautiful?"

"It was," Finn replied. "To bad we couldn't go to Oktoberfest, though."

"Yeah," Mater agreed. "That is purty fun!"

"I'm sure that we can come back someday and go to Oktoberfest. Plus, it's not even at this time of year." McQueen reassured his best friend.

"Now, was it just my imagination or did I see that mean green race-car from the Piston Cup?"

"I wish it was your imagination, but it wasn't. He was there. And he is meaner than I remember."

Finn was confused. "Green mean race-car from the Piston Cup?"

McQueen told Finn and Holley about the green race-car. "His name is Chick Hicks, and he was one of the two cars I raced against for the Piston Cup back in 2006. He was, as Mater said, not nice, and he cheated to win. He'd even push other cars off of the track! Not to mention that he is a bully! He insults everyone!"

"That's terrible!" Holley exclaimed.

"I know. Francesco told me that he caused Rip to cry the other day."

"Who's Rip?" Finn asked.

"He's just another one of the race-cars. Looks like Francesco, but has different colours. He's very friendly and happy-go-lucky, but he easily gets emotional. Now, must I explain who Francesco is?"

"No, I'm familiar with him."

"I'd say this Chick Hicks needs some time in boot camp," Sarge stated. "And this Francesco guy...wasn't he mean to you during the World Grand Prix?"

McQueen sighed. "Yeah, he was. Still is, actually. But he's not that bad; he's self-centred more than anything else. And he certainly won't hurt you - physically or emotionally - in the same way Chick Hicks does."

"Hmm...perhaps he needs some time in boot camp as well!"

"I don't think that'd work out as well as you'd hope...don't tell anyone I said this, but Francesco would probably just cry for his mommy."

Everyone on the jet chuckled. Except for Sarge. "Then he'd get extra-harsh work for being a whiner. Not trying to be rude but that's how boot camp works."

"But then he'd cry even more."

"Wait...so is Mr. San Francisco in this race too?" Mater asked.

"Yes, Mater, he is. And so is everyone else from the World Grand Prix."

"So any new cars in the race you haven't seen before?" Fillmore asked.

McQueen smiled, glad to be off the other topic. "Yes. There's Maple the Canadian. She's as sweet as syrup - no pun intended. And there's Crystal the Russian. You don't want to mess with her. Oh, and there's Wolff, the German who beat me in the race. You'd like her, Fillmore; she loves and respects nature, and wolves in particular."

"That's nice to know that there's another environmentalist like me," Fillmore mentioned.

"Hey, guys, I know that you want to talk and all, but I think that it would be a very good idea to get some sleep. Australia is very far away, and you certainly don't want to be tired when we get their," Siddeley advised.

"He's right," Finn agreed. "We need to get some sleep."

Everyone took the jet's advice, and soon enough they were all asleep.

Siddeley turned on his after-burners, and flew to the Land Down Under.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter does not really contribute to the plot; it only shows what kind of stuff goes on in the jet while in flight. I guess you could say it's a filler chapter. I mainly wrote it to get this story updated.<strong>


	9. G'Day, Australia!

After a who-knows-how-many-hours flight, Siddeley, along with the other jets, landed in Alice Springs, Australia.

"Here we are, Australia!" Belia announced as everybody got off of their jets.

Many of the race-cars couldn't help but comment their thoughts of their first impression of the country.

"Wow, what a fascinating country!"

"Desert as far as the eye can see...wait a minute, I hope we don't race in the desert..."

"Well, where else will we race? The Great Barrier Reef?"

"Actually, there are forests, so we are in luck."

"Australia...I've always wanted to come here!"

"Hey, where are the kangaroos?"

"G'Day, mates! And welcome to Australia, the Land Down Under!" One of the locals greeted.

"G'Day," everybody greeted back.

Schnell instantly recognized the Australian car. "Frosty?!"

The Australian looked towards the German. "Maxy! Yeah, it's me, mate! Frosty the Australian race-car! Not to be confused with Frosty the Snowcar!"

Everyone chuckled. "Yay, I'm not the only funny guy here!" Miguel cheered.

"Actually...that's my only joke. Sorry mate," Frosty said.

"You're accent's funny!" Rip commented.

Shu gave Rip a glare of disapproval.

"That's cause I'm Australian, mate...and we do have an accent..." Frosty informed.

"And it's funny how Australians call everyone 'mate'..."

Shu sighed with frustration, then slapped Rip.

"Oww! Why'd you hit me?" The New Rearendian complained as he rubbed the spot he was whacked in.

"Cause you need to be more respectful," Shu replied.

"I wasn't trying to be offensive; I was just appreciating the Australians!"

Frosty decided to intervine. "Relax, mates. Little dude, don't worry, you're not offending anybody. And Shu, calm down, your mate's not doing anything wrong. Just chill..."

Shu took Frosty's advice, and calmed down. On top of that, he apologized. "Sorry Rip."

As usual, the New Rearendian was willing to forgive. "No problem, buddy! It doesn't hurt now. Plus, that was nuthing! If ya wanna start talking about pain then we should talk about that cactus incident!"

"Cactus incident? What cactus incident, mate?" Frosty asked.

Rip told the story as if it was a comedy. "When we were in the Arizona desert I accidentally backed up into a cactus. You know, those spiky, cool-looking plants with the spines and all? So anyway I had cactus pieces stuck in my rear-bumper and it really really hurt. But that wasn't a huge deal when compared to having my engine exploded at the World Grand Prix! I almost died then."

Frosty was staring at Rip. "Uhh...ok..."

"If you ever want to know why someone calls him weird, this is it," Shu whispered to him.

"I can see, mate," the Australian whispered back. "But at least his outlook on life is always positive. We need more cars like that in this world."

"True."

Chick Hicks was laughing uncontrollably. He decided that this was the perfect time to insult the New Rearendian. "Hey Rip, are you really stupid enough to back into a cactus or did you tell that story just to entertain us?"

Rip avoided Chick Hick's eyes as he replied. "It's true..."

This entertained Chick Hicks even more. "Haha! Man, I wish that I was there to see it! I would of loved to see the look on your face! I'll bet $100 that you were crying like the wimp that you are!"

Rip's eyes started to water. "I did cry...but I'm NOT a wimp!"

"Yes you are; admit it!"

Frosty was now staring at Chick Hicks. "Uhh...is there something wrong with that green car, mates?"

"I think so," Shu replied.

"Yes. Definitely," McQueen added.

Crystal decided to intervene. She drove between Chick Hicks and Rip, and turned her attention to the green car. "Ok, Chick Hicks, you better stop insulting Rip! He's had enough of your bullying!"

Chick Hicks was a little intimidated, but didn't let that stop his bossiness. "And who's gonna stop me?"

"I will. I'll kick your bumper if you continue this."

The threat worked - at least for now. Chick Hicks gave up. "Fine. I'll stop teasing him." He grumpily drove away.

Francesco was staring at Crystal, impressed. Crystal blushed, but quickly hid it from the view of the others. After the blush had disappeared she faced Francesco and the others, who were staring at her. "What? All I can say is, I'm a tough girl."

"Blushing's not a sign of toughness," Miguel teased. "It's a sign of embarrassment...or affec-"

"Oh, shut up Camino!"

Everyone giggled.

"You mates have some very interesting mates with you," Frosty stated.

"Oui. So what's it like living in the Land Down Under?" Raoul asked.

"It's all good chillin', mate," Frosty replied.

"How in the world can you deal with this heat?" Crystal asked.

"The heat? It's something that us Australians are just used to, mate. Though having water with you at all times helps a lot."

"Is Australia completely desert?" Hamilton asked.

"NO, mate! We have alpine mountains and forests and rainforests and savannas, just to name a few."

"But is-a Outback real?" Francesco asked.

"Of course it is, mate! We're in it right now!"

"So Frosty, where are the kangaroos?" Gorvette asked. "Will we get to see them?"

"Kangaroos...of course you'll see 'em, mate!" Frosty said. "You'll see 'em while driving around, you'll see 'em while you race, and if for some weird reason you don't, then I'll take you to the waterhole where you'll always see 'em!"

"What about koalas?" McQueen asked. "Sally would love a picture of one of them."

"Koalas...you'd have to drive all the way to the eastern part of the continent if you wanna see 'em, mate."

"And the Australian Wolves?" Wolff asked.

"Australian Wolves? Oh, you mean dingoes! They're here, you just have to look hard and be patient...but I must warn ya, mate, a lot of 'em are hybrids with our doggies. Sadly, the pure dingo is dying out, just like a lot of our native fauna."

"Can we see Ayer's Rock?" Maple asked.

"Sure, mate!" Frosty said. Then he informed. "And by the way, we call it Uluru now. You know, to respect the Aboriginals."

After he finished jotting down notes on what Frosty said, Chick Hicks grabbed something and raced off. Everyone else followed Frosty into the Outback.


	10. More Competitors

"Well, mates. This is it: Uluru." Frosty pointed out the distinctive red landmark. Everyone stared at it in amazement.

"That is amazing."

"No wonder this place is sacred to the natives."

"It's even more beautiful in life that it is on a postcard."

"Wow."

The Australian listened to his friends' remarks. "I'm glad that you all like it, mates."

"Like it? I love it!" Maple responded.

"That's even better, mate!"

"Hey, if it isn't Frosty the Snowcar!" A voice, with a Mexican accent, exclaimed.

"Where have you been, buddy? We've been waiting for you!" A Swedish voice added.

Frosty looked over to the two cars. "G'day, Memo, Flash. And Memo, I'm not a snowcar!"

Memo Rojas Jr. giggled. "I knows. I was just teasing you."

"Memos!" Rip exclaimed.

"Rippy!" Memo replied, as the two cars drove up to each other. "How has me African friend been doing?"

"Me goody, Memos."

"So I've heard that you have a girlfriend? Tis truey?"

"Yessy!"

"Fools," a Chinese car sighed.

"Oh, come on, Ge, lighten up!" A Spanish car responded. "You're too serious all the time!"

"Fernando is right, especially now that our friends that ran in the World Grand Prix are here - in addition to new friends," a Russian car added.

Crystal smiled, happy to be around another Russian car - one that she knew. "Hi Vitaly!"

Vitaly Petrov waved at the Formula One. "Hey Crystal. Long time no see. How have you been?"

"I've been good. You?"

"I've been good as well."

Miguel tackle-hugged Fernando Alonso. "Hola, Fernando!"

"Hola, Miguel! How's my favorite toreador doing?"

"I'm great! And you?"

"I'm doing awesome, thank you for asking!"

Most of the cars greeted each other as if it was a reunion. Frosty smiled. "I'm glad to see that all you mates get along together!"

"Uhh...not quite..." Wolff pointed to Long Ge.

The Chinese car was staring at Shu. The Japanese car stared back. Neither of them had friendly expressions on their faces. "What are you doing here, Todoroki?" Ge asked.

"I'm here for the Planet Earth Prix. And you?" Shu replied.

"I'm here for that same reason."

"Oh really? Cause, as I recall, I did not see you at all in the first race."

"I forgot that the first race was in Germany, ok!"

"Of course you did. You always do, race-misser!"

"Well, at least I never dishonored my family when I was young, unlike a certain someone that I just happen to be looking at right now!"

Shu remained silent.

"And my parents never had to use the cane on me, not even once! And you?"

The Japanese car finally spoke after a few more moments of silence. "Alright, so I dishonored my family and as a result got beaten for it at times! But that was when I was a misbehaved kid, and I have grown up since then!"

"Ow, that's gotta hurt," Rip said, interrupting the heated conversation between the two Asian cars.

"It did, and that was the purpose of it. But I don't know how it'd compare to a cactus-"

"Cactus!" Memo shouted. "I love cacti!"

Rip smiled. "Me too!"

"I landed on a cactus once while attempting to jump and had spines stuck in me undercarriage. Cause of that everybody finds my liking of the plants to be weird."

"Same here, though had 'em stuck in my bumper!"

"Owies."

"Yeah, it hurty, but I'm fine."

"Those two are weird." Ge looked over at the Japanese car. "But not nearly as much of a pain in the bumper as Todo-

Shu lost his temper. "Why you-"

Raoul grabbed Shu as he was about to bolt towards the Chinese car. "Hey, Shu, relax! Calm down!"

"Let me at him! Let me at him!"

"No! You need to chill!"

"Hey! What's with all of the commotion over here?!" Crystal stormed over.

"He started it!" Shu pointed at Ge. Crystal smacked him. "Ow!"

"Stop acting like a little kid, Shu!"

"Sorry..."

Vitaly confronted the Chinese car. "Hey, Ge, what's gotten into you? Why are you acting nasty all of a sudden?"

"I'm sorry, but he really gets on my nerves," Ge replied.

"Then learn to get along with him! This is supposed to be a friendly competition, not a rivalry contest!"

"Why do you hate him anyway?" McQueen asked. "He's not mean or anything. What did he ever do to you?"

"He caused me to lose my undefeated status! Plus, he's super annoying!" Ge responded.

"Sounds like Crystal and Francesco," Schnell said. "With the undefeated status thing."

"But I...don't hate him," Crystal mumbled.

"Wait a second, what did you just say?" Miguel asked mischievously.

"I said, I don't hate him."

Miguel smiled even more mischievously. "Do you like him?"

Crystal hesitated for a moment, but was saved by the arrival of Belia. "Oh good, you're all here. The next race is in an hour, so we should start heading back to Alice Springs now."

Everyone followed Belia as they drove back to Alice Springs. They all talked among each other, eagerly anticipating the next race.

* * *

><p><strong>I just want to let everybody know that from now on I will be updating this story only when I get ideas for it. So it may be a while before I update this again.<strong>


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